Match Report | Needham Market (H)

Halesowen record a much needed late win against inform Needham Market

Match Report by Ben Ditchfield

In need of a bit of brilliance. The game belonged to the opening goal and superb low drilled strike to the bottom left. The Yeltz were in dream land, and three minutes later Ben Cassidy was brought down in the area for a penalty, which Jason Cowley made no mistake from to score his 15th goal of the season.

The opening stages was tight and cagey. A fourth minute Yeltz free kick was awarded after Dan Morphew fouled Fin Holmes. The delivery from Kyle Finn was away in the centre, shortly before a Jason Cowley shot flew over the bar. Two minutes later, fullback Tom Smith found Ryan Miles, who passed on one more to Myles Cowling in the middle. The latter’s cross was headed clear by Milan Butterfield, a minute before a Luke Ingram shot was gathered by Dan Platt.

Just before the 10 minute mark, Reece Mitchell found Holmes down the left. The recent arrival from Solihull Moors, shrugged off the defender and dug out a cross to the middle. The ball found Cowley, who with his back to the defender, hit an acrobatic effort which rolled into Platt’s gloves. 10 minutes later and after a Smith pass to Miles saw a cross miss Joe Neal in the middle, Jak Hickman and Ben Cassidy linked up down the right. The latter knocked the ball off Smith for a corner, which saw Hickman’s low ball meet Cowley. The Yeltz number 9 gave the ball back to the defender, who won a throw-in, which resulted in a goal kick.

Half way through the first 45, Needham began to dominate. A Smith and Reggie Lambe link-up saw the latter shoot wide of Platt’s right post. The former Football League man, Lambe, became lively. A Cowley swept pass to Ingram saw the ball knocked off Mitchell for a corner taken by Lambe. The delivery into the middle was mis-cleared by Alex Gudger, and allowed Dan Morphew to take on a strike which was blocked by Butterfield.

Just after the half hour mark, Smith manoeuvred his way through the Yeltz backline and had a shot saved, shortly before the best chances of the entire half. A Neal effort rattled the underside of the bar, and the Yeltz immediately countered through Cowley. The Yeltz number nine found Cassidy on the right of the area, whose low shot was saved down low to Bradbrook’s right. A minute before the 45, a Lambe free kick headed away by Gudger for a Needham corner. The delivery by Lambe was headed away in the middle by Josh Smile. The last action of the half in the second minute of four added on, saw Ben Hunter pass to Cowling, who found Lambe. The Needham number 19’s cross was headed away by Gudger in the middle, before the offside flag was raised.

Two chances a piece was begging for the two sides in the opening 10 of the second period. For the visitors, a Jake Dye cross into the middle was headed away by Gudger, but only as far as Lambe. The latter set his sight at goal, but with time and in space, he hit his strike over the top of the bar. The Yeltz gave up a huge chance two minutes later. A ball forward from Parker to Cowley, saw the latter wriggle past Dan Morphew, and find Finn. The Yeltz number 10 had time to get away his strike on the edge of the box, but hit his effort straight down the throat of Bradbrook. New arrival from neighbours Stourbridge, Tyrone Barnett arrived onto the pitch in the 62nd minute, and the two Yeltz strikes followed in the 10 minutes which followed.

As the game entered into the final 20 minutes and after the two goals. Cowley had a shot which flew over the bar, shortly before Needham very nearly got back into the game. A slip through pass from Neal to substitute Seth Chambers, saw the latter’s shot saved by Platt 1v1 at an angle. In the 84th minute and with the hail and rain slamming down on the Yeltz turf, Smile brought down Chambers. The free kick saw Ingram and Neal stood over the ball, and the latter’s effort blocked by Finn. The last Yeltz chance of the game saw substitute Charlie Wragg’s effort go wide.

As the game ventured into the six minutes of stoppage time at the end of the 90, and after the Yeltz brought all five substitutes on, the latter which saw Rahis Nabi replace Parker in the fourth of that allotted time. Russ Penn’s side were able to see the game in very tough weather conditions. Three games unbeaten after the Redditch defeat, and a first win at home for five weeks. Lovely!

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